Fuel tank filler assembly for engine driven welder

ABSTRACT

An engine driven welder has a fuel tank with a filler tube that extends upwardly from a reservoir in the machine base. The filler tube upper end and a cap thereon are below the machine top cover. The machine top cover has a cutout into which is installed a grommet that closes the cutout and that fully protects the filler tube upper end and the cap. The grommet has a hole that seals over a top portion of the filler tube such that any spilled fuel does not leak inside the machine. The filler tube has an expansion space that prevents splashback and spillover during fueling. An angled tail pipe directs engine exhaust away from the welding machine in any desired direction.

This is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 08/853,053 filedMay 8, 1997,now U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,535.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to engine driven welding machines, and moreparticularly to tanks that hold fuel for welding machine engines.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A vital part of every engine driven welding machine is the tank thatholds the fuel for the engine. In prior engine driven welding machines,the fuel tank was located entirely within the base of the machine. Afiller hole was provided in a top wall of the tank. A suitable capremovably closed the filler hole. By removing the cap, a fuel nozzlecould be inserted into the tank through the filler hole.

Although the prior fuel tanks served their intended purpose, theypossessed certain disadvantages. For example, the top wall of the tank,and thus the filler hole, was at a low height on the welding machine,often only several inches above the floor. Consequently, a personfilling the fuel tank was required to bend over to insert the fuelnozzle into the filler hole. A related drawback was that there was verylittle warning given to the person that the tank was approaching a fullcondition. As soon as the tank was filled up to the top wall, which wasdifficult to observe, any additional fuel would spill out the fillerhole. The spilled fuel would run down the sides of the fuel tank andinto the welding machine base, where it was impractical to wipe up. Fillgauges were often incorporated into the fuel tanks, but they were notsufficiently sensitive to indicate a full tank condition quickly enoughto prevent spillover. Also, the filler hole was on one side of thewelding machine, so that side of the machine could not be mountedagainst a wall.

In some applications, fuel tanks have been rendered more convenient tofill by making them with long filler tubes and by locating the fillertube opening so as to be easily accessible. A long filler tube has theadditional advantage of providing a storage space for excess fuel thatis delivered after the tank is full but before the fuel delivery pump isstopped, provided there were no leaks in the filler tube or in thejunction between the filler tube and the tank. However, a long fillertube presents the potential problem of a buildup of air pressure withinthe tank during rapid filling. If the filling is suddenly stopped, theair pressure can force any fuel in the filler tube back up and out itsopenings, thereby spilling fuel and possibly even spraying it on theperson filling the tank. The reduced diameter of the filler tube alsocreated a high velocity of fuel moving up the tube during filling thatcould easily spill if not shut off in time.

It is known to provide engine driven welding machines with fuel tankshaving long filler tubes. However, the tops of the filler tubes andtheir caps were exposed above the top of the welding machine cover.

U.S Pat. No. 4,759,458 and 5,320,147 and German patent 23 53 448 showfiller tubes that have enlargements near their respective openings. Theenlargements serve as chambers for temporarily storing fuel that isforced back out the filler tubes by air pressure inside the fuel tank.The arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,458 also includes lines that ventair in the tank to the filler tube chamber.

Although the designs of some prior fuel tanks possess certain desirablecharacteristics, there nevertheless is room for further advancements infuel tank design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a fuel tank filler assemblyfor engine driven welders is provided that combines anti-splashback withprotective and aesthetic features. This is accomplished by apparatusthat includes a grommet that fits in a welding machine cover and over afuel tank filler tube a short distance above an expansion space in thefiller tube.

The grommet has a bent side wall, which may be U-shaped, with top,bottom, and front edges. The space between the side wall is closed alongits bottom edge with a flat bottom wall. The side wall front and topedges are turned outwardly to form flanges. The edge of the bottom wallnot surrounded by the side wall has a downturned flange. The grommetbottom wall has a hole through it that is defined by a flexible lip.

The fuel tank filler tube has a lower end that opens into a reservoir,with the filler tube and the reservoir being made of one piece ofpolymeric material. The reservoir fits neatly within the welding machinebase. An upper end of the filler tube is approximately at waist heightto a person. The filler tube has a variable cross section and isconfigured to clear various components inside the welding machine. Thetop cover on the welding machine is cut out over the filler tube upperend.

The grommet is attached to the welding machine top cover so as to fitwithin the cutout therein. When the grommet is in place, its flangesoverlie the welding machine top cover, but its bottom wall is locatedbelow the machine top cover. The hole in the grommet bottom wall fitsover a circular top portion of the fuel tank filler tube. The outerdiameter of the filler tube top portion is slightly larger than theinner diameter of the lip of the grommet hole. Consequently, the grommetlip bends slightly as the grommet is fit over the filler tube, therebycreating a tight seal between the filler tube and the grommet. Thefiller tube upper end and its cap are below the machine top cover.

The filler tube expansion space is below the grommet bottom wall. Theexpansion space protrudes from one side of the filler tube. The crosssectional area of the expansion space is greater than the area of thefiller tube immediately below the expansion space. Accordingly, anypotential splashback of the fuel up and out the filler tube during fueldelivery is prevented, because the fuel can temporarily accumulate inthe expansion space. Similarly, the decreased velocity of the fuelrising in the filler tube when it reaches the expansion space gives theautomatic fuel shut off valve sufficient time to react and stop the fuelflow, thus preventing spillover.

Further in accordance with the present invention, the combinedfunctional and aesthetic features of the welding machine include itsexhaust system. The exhaust system is designed such that the enginemuffler is a short distance below the welding machine top cover. Amuffler exhaust tube rises vertically out of the muffler. There is ahole through the top cover aligned with the muffler exhaust tube. A benttail pipe is clamped to the muffler exhaust tube and protrudes throughthe hole in the top cover. By loosening the clamp, the tail pipe can berotated 360 degrees about the muffler exhaust tube and then reclamped atany desired angular position. In that manner, a person can direct theexhaust gases from the engine in any desired direction.

The method and apparatus of the invention, using an expansion space on afiller tube that is protected at its upper end, thus enables a weldingmachine fuel tank to be filled with convenience and safety. Any fuelthat does spill out of the filler tube is prevented by the grommet fromrunning inside the machine.

Other advantages, benefits, and features of the present invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detaileddescription of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a typical engine drivenwelding machine that includes the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a broken partial view of the assembled welding machine of FIG.1, taken generally along line 2—2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional view taken along line 4—4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view taken along line 5—5 of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodimentsherein disclosed merely exemplify the invention, which may be embodiedin other specific structure. The scope of the invention is defined inthe claims appended hereto.

Referring first to FIG. 1, an engine driven welding machine 1 isillustrated that includes the present invention. The welding machine 1comprises a base 2 that supports an electric generator 4. The generator4 is driven by an internal combustion engine 3. Electrical power fromthe generator is conditioned by known components, typically representedat reference numeral 8, to be suitable for welding use and available atterminals 5. Side covers 6 and 6A cover most of the sides of the weldingmachine. A top cover 9 and an end cover assembly 11 fit neatly with theside covers 6 and 6A to substantially enclose the working components ofthe welding machine.

In accordance with the present invention, fuel for the internalcombustion engine 3 is stored in a novel fuel tank 7. The fuel tank 7 iscomprised of a generally rectangular reservoir 13 and a filler tube 15.The reservoir 13 has six sides that are sized and shaped to fit withinthe welding machine base 2. There is a suitable opening 17 in thereservoir top side 18 to enable fuel to be pumped out through line 19 tothe engine. Another opening 21 in the reservoir top side 18 accommodatesa gauge.

The filler tube 15 of the fuel tank 7 extends upwardly from one cornerof the reservoir top side 18. The filler tube 15 and the reservoir 13are rotomolded of a polymeric material, preferably cross-linked H.D.polyethylene, so they are of one piece and won't leak at their junction.The filler tube terminates in an upper end 22 that is located below thetop panel 47 of the welding machine top cover 9. The cross section ofthe filler tube is preferably rectangular for its full height so as tohave an inside wall 23, an outside wall 24, a front wall 26, and a backwall 28. The shape and size of the filler tube cross section variesalong its length. Particularly, the inside wall 23 is contoured in aconcave shape so as to clear the generator 4. The upper end 22 of thefiller tube is formed with external threads 27. A vent-type cap 29 isremovably threadable onto the threads 27. Immediately below the threadsis a circular top portion 25.

Next to the top portion 25 of the filler tube 15 is an expansion space31. In the illustrated construction, the expansion space 31 is definedby a projection of the filler tube front wall 26. The expansion space 31is in the form of a bottom angled wall 33, a short vertical wall 35, anda top angled wall 37. Also see FIGS. 2-5. The upper end 39 of the topangled wall 37 blends into the filler tube circular portion 25.

In FIG. 5, the filler tube cap 29 is shown removed from the filler tube15, and a conventional fuel nozzle 41 is shown inserted into the fillertube upper end 22. It is highly desirable that the maximum insertion ofthe nozzle 41 be limited such that the nozzle end 43 is at a higherlevel within the filler tube than the junction 45 of the expansion spacebottom angled wall 33 with the front wall 26.

The expansion space 31 serves to prevent spillover when filling the fueltank 7 with the nozzle 41. The rapid rise of the fuel up the filler tube15 after the reservoir 13 is full but before the nozzle is turned off isameliorated by the expansion space. The increased area of the expansionspace compared with the rest of the filler tube enables the velocity ofthe rising fuel to slow at the expansion space. Consequently, theautomatic fuel shut off valve has a chance to turn off the fuel pumpbefore the fuel spills out of the filler tube upper end 22. Similarly,the expansion space prevents fuel splashback due to confined airpressure within the reservoir when the nozzle is suddenly shut off aftera time of rapid filling.

Further in accordance with the present invention, the convenience andaesthetics associated with the fuel tank 7 are greatly improved overprior fuel tanks. The circular top portion 25 of the filler tube 15,although below the top panel 47 of the welding machine top cover 9, isnevertheless easily accessible. As a result, the fuel tank can be filledwithout requiring a person to bend over to the base 2. To provideprotection to the filler tube and cap, and to allow for reduced volumein shipping and storing stacked welding machines, while providing easyaccess to the filler tube, as well as to give a neat appearance to thewelding machine 1, a grommet 49 is incorporated into the welding machinetop cover. In the preferred embodiment, the grommet 49 has a U-shapedvertical wall 51 that fits into a complimentary cutout 53 in the topcover. The cutout 53 is centered on the fuel tank filler tube. The sidepanel 55 of the machine top cover is also cut out for a distance equalto the height of the grommet curved wall 51. A top flange 57 extendsoutwardly from a top edge of the grommet curved wall. Front flanges 59extend outwardly from the front edges of the curved wall.

The grommet 49 also has a bottom wall 63 that joins to the curved wallbottom edge and that fills the area inside the curved wall 51. As bestshown in FIG. 4, the bottom wall 63 makes an obtuse angle A with theapex 52 of the curved wall. A satisfactory angle A is approximately 94degrees. The free end 60 of the bottom wall terminates in a downturnedflange 62. The grommet bottom wall has a hole 65 therethrough. The hole65 is defined by a flexible lip 67. The inner diameter of the lip 67 isslightly less than the outer diameter of the circular portion 25 of thefuel tank filler tube 15.

When installed in the cutout 53 in the welding machine top cover 9, thegrommet 49 completely closes the cutout. The top flange 57 overlies thetop cover top panel 47, and the front flanges 59 and 62 overlie the sidepanel 55. Three rivets 61 attach the grommet to the top cover.

To install the grommet 49 in the welding machine top cover 9, thegrommet hole 65 passes over the fuel tank filler tube top portion 25.The lip 67 bends against the filler tube 15, as best shown in FIGS. 4and 5, and thereby forms a fuel proof seal with the filler tube.Consequently, any fuel that might spill from the nozzle 41 during thefueling process will not leak inside the welding machine 1. Rather, thefuel will merely flow down the grommet angled bottom wall 63 and downthe outside of the welding machine top cover 9 and side cover 6A, fromwhich it can be easily cleaned. The grommet bottom wall is sufficientlybelow the top cover top panel 47 that the filler tube upper end 22 andthe cap 29 are also below the top cover top panel. The filler tube upperend and the cap are surrounded on three sides and are thus fullyprotected by the grommet vertical wall 51.

The aesthetics of the welding machine 1, both from an appearancestandpoint and from a functional standpoint, is further enhanced by thedesign of the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine 3.Returning to FIG. 1, an engine muffler 69 having a cylindrical portion70 and opposed ends 72 is horizontally oriented and is located above theengine and directly under the welding machine top cover 9. There are twoexhaust inlets 71 from the engine to the muffler 69. There is a singleexhaust outlet tube 73 from the muffler cylindrical portion 70. Theexhaust tube 73 is vertical and is aligned with a hole 75 in the topcover 9.

A tail pipe 77 has a lower end 79 that protrudes through the top coverhole 75 and fits loosely over the muffler exhaust tube 73. The tail pipeupper end 80 is bent at approximately 90 degrees to the lower end 79.The tail pipe can be rotated through 360 degrees about the mufflerexhaust tube. A clamp 81 is used to clamp the tail pipe lower end to themuffler exhaust tube at any desired angular orientation. In that manner,the welding machine operator can direct the exhaust from the engine 3 inany desired direction.

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance withthe invention, a fuel tank filler assembly for engine driven weldersthat fully satisfies the aims and advantages set forth above. While theinvention has been described in conjunction with specific embodimentsthereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of theforegoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spiritand broad scope of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. An engine driven welder comprising: a. generator means forproducing welding power; b. an engine that drives the welding machine;c. base means for supporting the generator and the engine; d. covermeans for at least partially enclosing the generator means and theengine and including a top cover having a hole therethrough; e. tankmeans located in the base means for storing fuel for the engine; f.horizontally oriented muffler means mounted transversely acrosssubstantially the entire width of the welder and having a cylindricalportion with opposed ends and located adjacent the hole in the top coverfor receiving exhaust gases from the engine through at least two exhaustinlets, and for discharging the exhaust gases through a single outletthat extends from the cylindrical portion; and g. tail pipe meansprotruding the hole in the top cover for rotating 360 degrees relativeto the muffler about a vertical axis to direct exhaust from the mufflermeans outlet in any desired direction away from the welder.
 2. An enginedriven welder comprising: a. generator means for producing weldingpower; b. an engine that drives the welding machine; c. base means forsupporting the generator and the engine; d. cover means for at leastpartially enclosing the generator means and the engine and including atop cover having a hole therethrough; e. tank means located in the basemeans for storing fuel for the engine; f. horizontally oriented mufflermeans mounted transversely above at least a portion of the generatormeans and having a cylindrical portion with opposed ends and locatedadjacent the hole in the top cover for receiving exhaust gases from theengine through at least two exhaust inlets, and for discharging theexhaust gases through a single outlet that extends from the cylindricalportion; and g. tail pipe means protruding the hole in the top cover forrotating 360 degrees relative to the muffler about a vertical axis todirect exhaust from the muffler means outlet in any desired directionaway from the welder.
 3. An engine driven welder having a right side anda left side comprising: a. generator means for producing welding power;b. an engine that drives the welding machine, said engine having exhaustports adjacent said welder right and left sides; c. base means forsupporting the generator and the engine; d. cover means for at leastpartially enclosing the generator means and the engine and including atop cover having a hole therethrough; e. tank means located in the basemeans for storing fuel for the engine; f. horizontally oriented mufflermeans mounted transversely and having a cylindrical portion with opposedends and located adjacent the hole in the top cover for receivingexhaust gases from the engine through at least two exhaust inletslocated adjacent said engine exhaust ports, and for discharging theexhaust gases through a single outlet that extends from the cylindricalportion intermediate said exhaust ports; and g. tail pipe meansprotruding the hole in the top cover for rotating 360 degrees relativeto the muffler about a vertical axis to direct exhaust from the mufflermeans outlet in any desired direction away from the welder.
 4. Anengine-driven welder comprising: a. a base having first and secondgenerally vertical side walls lying in respective first and secondvertical side planes, the base defining a central plane midway betweenand parallel to the base first and second side planes; b. an electricgenerator supported on the base; c. an engine that drives the generatorto produce electric power, the engine including a muffler having amuffler longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the base centralplane, the muffler having a vertically extending exhaust tube locatedbetween the first base side plane and the central plane; and d. a fueltank assembly comprising a reservoir located in the base, and a fillertube having a lower end opening into the reservoir and an upper end, thefiller tube upper end being located between the base central plane andthe second side plane and closer to the second side plane than to thecentral plane.
 5. The engine driven welder of claim 4 wherein the enginehas two exhaust outlets, one on either side of the central plane, andwherein the exhaust outlets enter the muffler on either side of theentral plane.
 6. The engine welder of claim 4 further comprising a tailpipe on the muffler exhaust tube that is rotatable 360 degrees about theaust tube.
 7. An engine-driven welder comprising: a. a base having firstand second generally vertical side walls; b. an electric generatorsupported on the base; c. an engine that drives the generator to produceelectric power; d. a top cover having a first side panel upstanding fromthe base first side wall, and a second side panel upstanding from thebase side wall, and a top panel joining the first and second side panelsalong respective corners; and e. a filler assembly comprising: i. a fueltank having a reservoir in the base and a filler tube upstanding fromthe reservoir and being of one piece therewith, the filler tube havingan upper end that is located proximate the welder top cover and thatremoveably receives a cap, the filler tube defining an expansion spacebetween the upper end and the reservoir to provide an increasedcross-sectional area in the filler tube; and ii. a grommet comprising agenerally vertical wall with top and front edges, a bottom wall joinedto the vertical wall and having a free edge that is generally coplanarwith the vertical wall front edges, the bottom wall having an openingtherethrough sized and located to fit over the fuel tank filler tube,and an outturned flange having a first section along the vertical walltop edge that lies in flat facing contact with the top panel of thewelder top cover, the outturned flange having second sections along therespective vertical wall front edges that lie in flat facing contactwith the first side panel of the welder top cover.
 8. The engine-drivenwelder of claim 7 wherein: a. the corners between the top panel and thefirst and second side panels of the top cover are formed as curvedcorners with a predetermined radius; and b. the grommet outturned flangehas third sections between the first section and the second sectionsthat lie in flat facing contact with the top cover curved corner betweenthe top panel and the first side panel.
 9. The engine-driven welder ofclaim 7 wherein the grommet is attached to the top cover by at least onefastener between the outturned flange first section and the top panel,and by at least one fastener between the grommet outturned flange secondsections and the top cover first side panel.
 10. The engine-drivenwelder of claim 7 wherein the grommet further comprises a flexible lipon the bottom wall around the opening for the filler tube and in sealingcontact with the filler tube.
 11. The engine-driven welder of claim 7wherein: a. the grommet vertical wall is generally U-shaped; and b. thetop panel of the top cover has a cutout that is complementary to thegrommet vertical wall, and wherein the grommet vertical wall fits in thetop panel cutout.
 12. A filler assembly in an engine-driven weldingmachine having a base, a generator, and a top cover, the filler assemblycomprising: a. a fuel tank having a reservoir that is located within thewelding machine base, and a filler tube upstanding from the reservoir,the filler tube having a top portion with a first predetermined crosssectional area adjacent the welding machine top cover, an expansionspace with a second predetermined cross sectional area connected to thetop portion, and a lower portion connecting the expansion space to thereservoir, the lower portion having a third predetermined crosssectional area at a selected distance between the expansion space andthe reservoir, the second predetermined cross sectional area beinglarger than the first and third predetermined cross sectional areas; b.a cap removeably received on the fuel tank filler tube upper end, thecap being below the top cover when the cap is received on the fillertube upper end; and c. a grommet attached to the welding machine topcover comprising a generally U-shaped vertical wall having opposed sidesand being at least partially below the welding machine top cover, and abottom wall joined to and extending between the opposed sides of thecurved wall, the bottom wall having an opening therethrough sized andlocated to fit snugly over the fuel tank filler tube, so that thevelocity of fuel rising in the fuel tank filler tube decreases at theexpansion space to reduce fuel splashback and spillover during fueling,and any fuel spilled during fueling does not run down the inside of thewelding machine top cover.
 13. The filler assembly of claim 12 whereinthe grommet further comprises a flexible lip in the bottom wall thatbends and seals against the fuel tank filler tube.
 14. The fillerassembly of claim 12 wherein the grommet bottom wall is substantiallyflat and is below the welding machine top ever.
 15. In combination witha welding machine having a generator mounted on a base, an internalcombustion engine that drives the generator, and a top cover that atleast partially encloses the generator and engine, a fuel tank fillerassembly comprising a fuel tank having a reservoir located in thewelding machine base, and a filler tube having a lower end opening intothe reservoir and an upper end below and accessible through the weldingmachine top cover, wherein: a. the welding machine top cover has acutout therein; and b. a grommet is recessed into in the welding machinetop cover cutout, the grommet fitting over the fuel tank filler tube toenable the fuel tank to be filled without removing the grommet from thewelding machine top cover.
 16. The combination of claim 15 wherein thegrommet comprises: a. a generally vertical wall having a pair of opposedside sections and a curved section between and joining the sidesections, the grommet vertical wall fitting in abutting contact with thecutout in the welding machine top cover; and b. a bottom wall betweenand joined to the vertical wall side and curved sections, the bottomwall defining an opening therethrough that fits over the fuel tankfiller tube.
 17. The combination of claim 16 comprising an elastic lipon the grommet bottom wall that seals against the fuel tank filler tube:so that any fuel spilled from the filler tube drips on the grommetbottom wall and outside the welding machine top cover and not i de thetop cover.
 18. The combination of claim 16 further comprising a flangejoined to the grommet vertical wall and overlying the welding machinetop cover.
 19. The combination of claim 15 wherein the fuel tank fillertube comprises an expansion space proximate the filler tube upper end,the expansion space having a predetermined cross-sectional area that isgreater than the cross-sectional area of the filler tube at a selectedlocation along the tube between the upper and lower ends thereof.